Mock exam revised

There are several problems which hinder ethical products from entering the mainstream consumer market. How can such problems be resolved?

Public concern over the pollution caused by the solid waste produced in our daily life has gone up in the recent years in Singapore. Tan (2007) reported that healthier food and cosmetic products retail shops have increased rapidly in last six years. However, the respond is not satisfactory. There are many factors hindering the ethical products from entering the mainstream consumer market. The main problems are the expensive cost of ethical products and lack of public awareness over ethical products. These problems can be resolved by the joining effort from the government and the retailers.

According to Mr. Eric Chew (Tan, 2007), “environmentally safe dishwashing liquid here was triple the price he used to pay in Australia”. This is a common problem happening in Singapore. If you have the habit of going to supermarket, you would have noticed that how much an organic apple cost more than an ordinary one. Most of the people wouldn’t even give a second thought for buying that. If the cost of the goods is much higher than the affordable or reasonable price, people are not willing to pay for it. This will eventually loose the potential customers of the ethical products (EPs for short). The solution is quite obvious here, that is to reduce the price of EPs. To achieve this goal, government can play a leading role by reducing the tax or absorbing the GST (good and service charge) of the EPs. The cheaper price will encourage more people to buy EPs and as the demand go up the supply will follow up and eventually the price will become more affordable to a wider range of customers.

Another problem is the lack of awareness of the public. Recently, there are many activities, advertisements and promotions about environmentally friendly life styles in town. Public are aware of the fact that global warning and all sources of pollution are caused by human activities but most of them do not have the knowledge to adopt environmentally friendly life style. All of this information may be easily available to the younger generations but they may not be as easily accessible as for the older generation. As a solution, government and retailers can work together to promote the knowledge on the advantages of using EPs and the impacts of EPs over the environment. Retailers can put up some signs and explanations about the EPs in their stores. As the public awareness increased, there will be more people willing to pay more to save the environment. This will again inspire more people to invest in EPs and there will be more variety of EPs in the market at an affordable price.

To reiterate this, the EPs can be promoted to enter into the mainstream market by the jointly efforts of government and retailers together with the public.

References

Tan. D. W. (2007, February 11). Buying a better world. The Straits Time, p. L6.

Final essay

What effects might a university student with high emotional intelligence experience in the academic and social arenas?


“Higher education aims to nurture critical, creative and independent learner”, wrote (Pan, 2007, p. 3). Marshall and Rowland (1993) also mentioned that higher education means “independent learning”, and they added, “learning is a personal process” (p.17), so that the abilities of a student to plan and manage his/her studies and life become very important. Therefore, how much a student can achieve depends on himself/herself. Goleman (1995) stated that emotional intelligent (EI for short) contributes 80% to the success of a person (as cited in Hang, 1999, para. 2). According to Hang, EI includes intrapersonal skills and interpersonal skills. From these observation, it is clear that student with high emotional intelligent (EI for short) will benefit in both academic and social arenas.

Academically, a student with high EI is able to identify his/her priorities and understand his/her own feelings. For examples, he/she will not waste time on something which is not important and he/she can make wise decisions and choices between academic and personal aims. Marshall (1993) stated that “physical and emotional conditions directly affect the study of student”. Marshall further explained that everyone has “different body rhythms and cycles” (p. You 3), some people are active in the night and some in the day time. Thus, it is important to have the ability to understand one’s own feelings. To illustrate this, the high EI student can understand the numbers of sleeping hours he/she needs a day, the best mental condition for study and the environment he/she needs in order to concentrate in the study. These will ensure him/her to plan and manage his/her time properly and work more effectively.

Apart from understanding one’s physical condition, EI will also motivate and encourage the student to explore and challenge more. Gardner (1993) stated EI can help student to identify his/her “area of strength” so that he/she can develop that strength. He added that student will also build up “self-esteem from a job well done” (p. 206), which in turn will give the student courage to challenge more difficult problems. Furthermore, because he/she is more often self-motivated, he/she is also willing to spend more time and works harder in the subjects he/she studies. As a result, the student is unconsciously receiving and learning more knowledge.

Moreover, a high EI student studies in a smart way by developing curiosity and interest in the subjects he/she studies. As a result, he/she won’t get bored with the subject because of its contents or feel scared because of its difficulties. This helps him/her to take the initiative to learn. An active learning attitude will improve the relationship between the student and teacher also. This kind of harmonic relationship will provide a healthier mind to the student.

In social arena, the student with good interpersonal skills will help himself/herself and surrounding peoples to achieve more. Gardner pointed out that while a university provides independent learning environment that doesn’t mean it encourages self achievement alone. A person alone may not achieve something significantly great. It requires a group of dedicated people working together and helping each other. So, it is very important for a university student to have good relationship with other people. The high EI student can understand the importance of good communication and he/she will establish good relationship with lecturers, tutors and other students. For example, a group with good cooperation and dedicated group members will eventually produce high quality work. As a result, everyone in the group will achieve more.

Besides achieving more, the student with high EI will have an effective learning experience. He/She has a heart for empathy. For instance, he/she is often in a position to help. Helping other people will give the student chances to be exposed to other cultures and which can improve the friendship at the same time. Eventually, he/she can receive help from other people also. Moreover, ideas can be shared with his/her friends during the studies. In this way, he/she will learn more methods and alternatives to solve a particular problem. And hence, learning becomes more effective. In addition, friends can also provide mental support when needed.

Last but not least, the student with high EI will have a less stressful student life. For example, an outgoing personality will help him/her participate in co-curriculum activities actively. Through these activities, he/she can make new friends, pick up new skills, develop leadership skill and he/she can have fun at the same time. These activities will not only enhance his/her social life but also reduce the stress of the academic life.

Finally, I would like to conclude that a student with high EI will benefit in both academic and social arena. Furthermore, with the strong social network and good attitude toward studies, he/she will become a successful student.

References

Gardner, H. (1993). Multiple intelligences: The theory in practice. New York: BasicBooks.

Hang, C. C. (1999). Nurturing emotional intelligence in university students. CDTL Brief. March 1999, Vol. 2, No.1. Retrieved Oct 11th, 2007, from

http://www.cdtl.nus.edu.sg/brief/v2n1/default.htm

Marshall, L., & Rowland, F. (1993). A guide to learning independently (2nd ed.). London: Buckingham.

Pan, D. (2007). The effective student (4th ed.). Singapore: Continental Press.

Summary of “What is college for?”

Bowen (1986) discussed that students today are concerns more about how can they gain a degree and how much money they can make out of it. Only one quarter of them see college is a place to become a more thoughtful citizen. Carnegie President Ernest L. Boyer, (n.d. as cided in Browen), author of “The Undergraduate Experience in America”, points out that graduates in business studies are more easier to get employment than those from English and literature studies in the past decade. Some schools have dropped English and literature studies and emphasizing business specialties to attract more students and to meet the society needs. Many schools fail to provide quality education, they are becoming "trade schools; trading tuition fees with bachelor’s degree certificates". Undergraduates’ and educators’ qualities are dropping. As solution, Boyer argues that colleges should set the perquisites of the college higher and upgrade language proficiency of the students throughout the years of studies in college. Schools should emphasize on the whole development of the students especially on the mental development of students. Thus everyone will equip with essential common & professional knowledge. He also pointed out that the quality of the teachers also must be raise to bridge the gap between secondary and higher education.

Source Citation:

Bowen, E. (Nov 10, 1986). "What is college for? Careers, say students; learning, argues a major new study." Time, v128. p96(1). Retrieved Sept 21, 2007, from http://find.galegroup.com/ovrc/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC_Documents&type=retrie
ve&tabID=T003&prodId=OVRC&docId=A4501805&source=gale&srcprod=OVRC&user
GroupName=nusself&version=1.0

Review of “Elizabethtown”

Picture form http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368709/posters

Overview

· Director, Writer, Producer - Cameron Crowe (From the director of Jerry Maguire (1996) and Almost Famous (2000))
· Producers - Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner
· Editor - David Moritz
· Original Music - Nancy Wilson
· Starring - Orlando Bloom, Kirsten Dunst, Susan Sarandon and Alec Baldwin
· Release date - November 2005

Story (from the dvd's cover)

Drew Baylor (Orlando Bloom), once a rising star at a leading athletic shoe company, has just been fired due to the overwhelming failure of his design for a sneaker and $972 million loss his company suffered because of the fiasco. As if that wasn't bad enough, things get even worse: Drew receives a phone call informing him that his father has passed away--and now, he must get on a plane for Elizabethtown, Kentucky, to retrieve his father's remains.

On the plane ride, Drew meets Claire (Kirsten Dunst), a flight attendant and unstoppably positive woman who changes the course of his life. It is in Kentucky that Drew comes to learn the breadth of his father's life and his own family roots. Drew, with the help of Claire, submits to discovering the possibilities for his own destiny.

My review

This movie tells a heart-warming love story, touching father, family and relatives relationship and motivating life story. It is similar to most of the romance movies which always have happy endings, thought, it is more than that. It is about life and living it happily.

The story start form Drew Baylor’s lowest point of life; he lost his job and girlfriend. He lost his meaning of life and wanted to commit suicide to end everything. But because of the death of his father, he had to draw off the plan for a while. He met the flight attendant, Claire, on the plane, who changed his aspect of life in the following days.

One of the scenes which touches me is the time when he reached the Elizabeth town, the warm welcome from his father’s extended family and friends in the town to him. These are the things which can only be found at the small town. He saw his unfamiliar father lying in the coffin. The only memory with his father which he can recall was years ago while he was young. He remembered the cross country road trip which they planned to go together. But because of his busy schedule, the plan had been postponed year after year. He wished if only he had taken a few days leave out of his schedule back then. But it is too late now.

Another touching scene is the conversation Drew and his sister had had. He asked her if their father was a “fun guy.” She answered with tears, “Sure, he was a fun guy, especially during the past few years, when you were so busy.”

During this trip, he discovered how simple a life can be. He came to realize that his life is not that bad. And with the encouragements and consoles from Claire he started to work out from the dark.

The romantic relationship between Drew and Claire was built during his stays in town. Claire is an optimistic person. She encourages and helps Drew to go through this painful period. Finally, they found their halves in each other soul and fall for each other.

In the funeral, his mother said; she got chances to learn to do all of the house chores, to cook, to repair the furniture, repair car and even dancing after his dad passed away. Those were badly done in the end, but she is trying really hard. She is trying really hard to keep herself busy to engage all of her thought with other things.

Finally, the director wrapped up everything with a cross country road-trip which was laid down by Claire and accompanied with a mix soundtrack CD. At the end of the movie, you will wonder what an incredible effect which music can impose to one, and the magic of music is so powerful which make the movie an unforgettable experience. And that is Nancy Wilson (original music) who bring alive the “Elizabethtown”.


Moral of the film

Life is more than failures and successes in our careers. When we meet setback of our life face it and sometime you may need to slow down or take a break and view it from a different angels so you can see it more clearly and from a different perspective. That is “There is always something else”, a quote by Drew’s father in the movie.

Problem-Solution

How can NUS and/or Engineering Faculty enhance the awareness of the importance of emotional intelligence?

There are several methods to enhance and promote the awareness of the importance of emotional intelligence (EI for short). The fist step to achieve this goal is to let the students know more and understand their own feeling so they know where the problems of them are. For example, all of us know what should we do to improve our grade but we always forgot or don’t do most of those things. That is because we are so used to do things in our own ways and we unintentionally ignore or forgot to attempt the actual things which matter us. So as a solution, school may organize some seminars about EI where the attendance of the students is compulsory rather than optional. By doing this all of the students are forced to know EI and they won’t have the thought of spending extra time unwisely on the subjects which they think they understand. Alternatively, school may create a series of online quizzes about EI where the students who attended them are awarded some credits for co-curriculum activities (CCA) points. Additionally, school may set an EI related module under university requirement category where every student has to take it. This method may be bit reluctance and yet it is the most effective way of promoting EI. To conclude it, by giving students the environment, where they get more chances to get to know EI, can eventually achieve the awareness of the importance of EI in students.

EQ & Undergraduate

Daniel Goleman stated, “rational intelligence only contributes 20% to the factors that determine success in life…. and particularly the characteristics of emotional intelligence constitute the other 80%”, (as cited in “Nurturing emotional intelligence in university student” by Hang,C.C.1999.). It is true that students with high emotional intelligent (or Emotional Quotient, EQ for short) are able to achieve more in both academic and non-academic arenas.

Academically, students with high EQ are able to identify their priorities and understand their own feelings which make them flexible to work in a stressful condition. They study in a smart way by developing curiosities and interests in the subjects they study. Furthermore, they are always self-motivated and willing to travel extra miles than others.

Good interpersonal skill usually helps a person to learn more and efficiently. Outgoing personality makes them to participate in Co-curriculum activities (CCA for short) actively. They take the chances to make new friends, pick up new skills, develop leadership skill and have fun at the same time. Which will not only enhances their social life with meaningful activities but also reduce the stress of academic life at the same time. Apart from these, good communication skill helps them to learn more from other students, not just from lecturers.

Finally, I would like to conclude that with strong social network and good attitude toward the studies will eventually balance the life of undergraduates and transform them into successful men.

My life's meaning

My life’s meaning

People always say “life without ambitions is a meaningless life”. Everyone should have at least one ambition or dream to motivate him or herself. I believe that most of us would lose his or her way in this colourful world sometime. There were times I got confused and questioned myself; what I am working so hard for and what does a successful life mean to me, I then have doubts about everything.

I can still recall the conversation with my father, he told me “If you don’t work hard for yourself, then at least do it for your family and the people who care about you, they have expectations on you”. After I heard that I was too ashamed to face my parents as I didn’t even have a thought of repaying them for everything they’ve done for me. And I’ve learnt a lot from that conversation.

I started to understand that life is not just about me alone. I am living in a society which makes our life more interesting and complex. Being an engineering student, I’ve an ambition to become a successful engineer and lead a successful life. And to me the word “success” means being recognized by the society. Now if I have any doubt about my life’s meaning, I always motivate myself with my family and my ambition. As a conclusion, I strongly believe a quote by Napoleon Hill “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe it can achieve”.